Revelation Sermon - 31

Revelation: Here Comes the Beast

Revelation 13:1-10

1. Introduction – At the end of chapter 12, some versions include it at the beginning of chapter 13, we about the dragon taking his stand on the seashore – and that’s where chapter 13 begins.

a. In the first 10 verses of the chapter we are introduced to the first of 2 beasts that come on to the scene.

i. We only read half the chapter this morning, and there’s a lot of information thrown at us. We have a lot to work through and a lot to digest today. So here’s what we’re going to do.

1. We’re going to look at the beast. We’ll look at it’s description, it’s background and its meaning.

a. We’ll study what the dragon and the beast are doing in this scene.

i. We’ll ask ourselves the all-important question theological question, “Where’s God in all of this?”

1. And finally, we’ll close by looking at this chapter’s call to hear, understand and persevere.

2. The Beast – As the vision unfolds before Joh, he sees a beast rising up out of the sea. And as the beast emerges, John describes what he sees.

a. He starts with the head, moves down to the body, the feet, and the mouth. He’s similar down this with the locusts, the cavalry, and even with Jesus.

i. But this beast is a hideous and grotesque creature – a combination of some many different images.

b. But as we read this chapter, and further into the book, we have to keep something in mind.

i. We aren’t looking into a crystal ball, we aren’t reading future history out of a newspaper.

1. We aren’t going to see a literal beast with heads and horns and crowns coming up out of the sea.

a. The beast is a sign, like the dragon was a sign, and signs in Revelation point to a reality beyond itself.

3. Background – In fact, the reader who is familiar with the OT knows exactly what the image of the beast is referring to.

a. In the book of Daniel – chapter 7, God gives Daniel a series of visions – 4 beasts to be exact.

i. The first looked like a lion, the second looked like a bear, the third like a leopard, the fourth had ten horns… sound familiar?

1. Well, in the book of Daniel, the vision is then interpreted – and we’re told that the 4 beasts represent 4 earthly kingdoms that will rise to power, each once greater than the previous.

a. The interpretation of the beasts in Daniel goes like this. The first beast – the lion, represents the Babylonian empire, the one Daniel and his friends were taken captive to.

i. The second beast – the bear, represents the Persian empire, which overthrew the Babylonian Empire. We learned about Persia when we studied Esther last year.

ii. The Third beast, the bear, represents the Greek kingdom under Alexander the Great. The four heads represent the fact that his kingdom was divided into four parts after this death.

1. The final beast represents Rome – the super power in place while John is writing Revelation.

b. What do all of these kingdoms have in common? They all did horrendous things to God’s people.

i. But in Daniel’s vision – the kingdoms of the beast are eventually supplanted by the kingdom of the Ancient of Days and the Son of man.

1. So with Daniel as the background, we see that in John’s vision, the 4 beasts of Daniel 7 are combined into one beast Revelation 13.

a. Take 4 beasts, combine them into 1, what does this sign represent?

i. This vision of the beast represents the entirety of violent earthly empires that oppose God’s kingdom and people.

c. So what is the beast of Revelation 13? It’s the state – human kingdoms that have rejected God from the centre of their lives.

i. At the time Revelation of written – the beast was manifested in the Roman Empire. But not just Rome – Egypt, Assyrian, Babylon, Persia and Greece before it…

1. And empire after empire after it also.

a. The beast from the sea is dragon-manipulated political power used to pressure followers of Jesus into compromise.

d. Why is it so hard to follow Jesus in this world? Because there is an evil force working in this world…and that force hates Jesus.

i. Sure, it can tolerate Muhammed and Buddha, and the whole host of Hindu gods... it can accept political ideologies, but Jesus… the dragon manipulated power hates Jesus, and his followers.

1. The beast represents the state, political powers…the government...So if the state, if government are puppets for the dragon…

a. How does that affect our relationship to government? Are governments universally corrupted by the dragon or is it an occasional phenomenon?

i. How does Rev. 13 jives with Romans 13, where Paul calls political leaders ‘servants of God?’ where Paul calls on Christians to pray for and submit to leaders?

1. Do these two passages contradict each other? One calling for prayers, the other showing the beastly nature of government?

e. Do they contradict each other? No. This is what the image of the beast in Revelation 13 represents.

i. The State, government, was intended to be a servant of God, and the beast of Revelation 13 is a vision of what happens when a government moves away from its ordained role.

1. When a government moves away from the way God intended things to be, is doesn’t become more human, or progressive, or divine – the vision shows us it becomes more beastly and demonic.

f. Understand that there is a balancing act in obeying government and obeying God.

i. Where the government is in tune and in line with God, we obey government.

1. But as soon as a government steps out from under God and tries to BE god, we disobey.

a. Because our ultimate citizenship is in the kingdom of God – so we disobey the earthly government in order to continue our obedience to God.

i. Who is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Premier of Premiers and the Prime Minister of Prime Ministers.

4. The Beast’s Activities – Moving on. We’ve looked at the beast’s description, background and meaning…

a. Now I want you to focus on the beast’s activities. What is he doing in this vision?

i. The way I read and understand this vision, I see the beast participating in 3 activities.

b. First, the beast is parodying Jesus. Isn’t true that evil often mimics good.

i. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

1. The language used to describe the beast in chapter 13, has been previously used of Jesus.

a. Evil is mimicking the good of Jesus. Right down to a death and resurrection.

c. The dragon and the beast from the sea mimic the resurrection so that the whole world will marvel at the beast.

i. In fact, together with the beast of the earth that we’ll look at next week, these three creatures – the red dragon, the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth – form a demonic trinity – parodying and mimicking the work of the divine Trinity.

1. The dragon mimics the work of the Father. The beast from the sea mimics the work of the Son, and the beast from the earth mimics the work of the Holy Spirit. More on that next week.

d. So, the beast is mimicking the work of Jesus, why? The Beast does this in order to accomplish his second purpose – to gather worshippers to himself, and ultimately to Satan.

i. But pay attention, and we’ll come back to this at the end, it is those who belong to this world who worship the beast… NOT genuine, true and faithful followers of God. They will be protected.

e. The cry goes out, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to fight against him?”

i. Oh, the irony of this statement?

1. Who is like… that’s a question associated with YHWH throughout the OT. The question is asked over and over when YHWH is compared to the false gods of other nations.

a. Who is able to fight against him? An ironic question – since the death blow for the dragon and his followers has already been dealt.

f. John is telling his readers, don’t be deceived by it all. The beast’s tactics will not be subtle, the beast will demand unquestioned allegiance and worship.

i. We are not to be deceived or fall into the trap of worshipping and giving our allegiance to a false Christ, a false messiah.

1. And really – worship is a major theme for the rest of the book, for the whole book of Revelation.

a. Who or what will you worship? What takes priority in your life?

i. Who will you adore? Who gets your attention? Who has your undivided allegiance?

1. Those are questions Revelations asks.

g. The reality is that humans were made to worship. We are natural born worshippers.

i. And if we don’t worship God the Father Almighty Creator of heaven and earth – we will invent or construct gods and give our allegiance to them…

1. Thus, giving our worship to the beast and ultimately to Satan himself.

h. It is said that human beings are incurably religious. Fish swim in water, birds fly in the air, and humans worship.

i. The question remains – who will be the focus of your worship?

1. Revelation shows us that worship of God now, leads to eternal worship around his throne.

a. Worship of any false god, is ultimately demon worship, worship of the beast and the dragon – and Revelation shows us that worship of those things leads to destruction and eternal separation from God.

i. The third and final purpose of the beast is a natural outflowing of the second.

i. If the beast gathers worshippers to himself – naturally he will persecute all who do not offer him worship and allegiance.

1. When the world gathers around one centre, and Christians gather around another – we will be seen as trouble makers.

a. We don’t set out to be trouble makers, but when the world finds unity ‘over here’ – those who live ‘over there’ will be viewed as disturbers of the status quo…

i. Then will come the persecution and the pressure to compromise.

5. Where’s God? – I had a professor in seminary who, whenever you talked with him, whether it was about school or life or a ministry situation – he would always ask the question, “Where’s God in this?”

a. And I think that’s a prudent question to ask about our chapter this morning? There seems to be a lot of negative things happening here. So where’s God?

i. With all that’s going on, a beast rising out of the sea, political powers ditching their God-ordained role to follow the dragon.

1. God’s name being blasphemed, the beast receiving worship and directing it to the dragon, God’s people being pressured and persecuted… where IS God in all of this?

b. Well, I want you to pay attention to the language that’s used in this chapter.

i. Particularly in v. 5 – the beast was allowed… later in the verse, he was given authority.

1. Again in v.7, the beast was allowed to wage war… later in the verse, he was given authority.

a. We’ve seen these words before, and they referred to God allowing various things to happen.

i. God’s giving, God’s allowing – one thing that is hard for us to fathom is that God is so great, his rule is so encompassing, that he even uses the forces of evil to accomplish his plan.

1. My ways are not your ways, says the Lord. Indeed.

2. Earlier in Revelation we saw that authority and allowance was given to the horsemen, to the swarm of nasty locusts, to the demonic cavalry. They were given, same words used here in chapter 13.

a. They were given authority, they were allowed to…by God.

c. So where’s God in all of this? He is on his throne…in complete control.

i. The words ‘was allowed’ or ‘was given authority’ are not words spoken about a true sovereign.

1. So even though the dragon and the beast mimic the work of God, they are not independent agents.

a. They only do what they are allowed to do, for the period of time God has specified.

6. Endurance – And in v. 10, we see a call to endure. This chapter has been a realistic view of what might come our way.

a. God’s people are called to remain faithful no matter what comes their way – whether its ridicule, persecution, jail time or death.

i. So often we attempt to avoid suffering at all costs. We beg God to not let us go through anything difficult.

1. But what we also must realize is that most often it is testing that proves the genuineness and strength of our faith.

a. And our testing results in God being glorified.

b. These things are going to happen to God’s people – imprisonment and death are already happening around the world.

i. It shouldn’t surprise us when the world reacts against our Christian values – we are warned that they will.

1. But we must find confidence and assurance that we will be protected by God through all of it.

a. And I’ll say it again, God’s protection isn’t necessarily physical, but it is most definitely spiritual.

i. Our souls will be kept safe in the hands of God.

c. And as we close, I want us to know the source of strength, comfort, assurance and protection.

i. You are protected because you are eternally secure.

1. This means that those who are genuine believers in Jesus will remain genuine believers.

d. Now we usually think of eternal security ‘once saved always saved,’ and the truth that Christians will spend eternity with Jesus. It is those things, but it is also more than too.

i. We have to understand that all Christian doctrines are not just theoretical ideas, but they are practically played out throughout our lives on earth.

1. Eternal security, preservation of the saints is no different.

a. The passage says that those who worship the beast are those who don’t have the names written in the book of life.

e. So on the flipside of that, if your name IS written in the book of life which belongs to the Lamb…

i. If you are a true and genuine believer in Jesus, if you have repented of sins, if you walk with Jesus on a daily basis,

1. If you are growing in grace and growing in maturity in Christ, then your name is written in the Book of Life.

a. And because of that – not in your own strength or power – but because you are a chosen child of God from the foundation of the world – you will be protected from the dragon and his beastly puppets.

f. You will not be deceived by the mimicry and parodying.

i. You will not bow down and worship the beast, you will not give your allegiance to the beast…

1. Why??? Because you name is written in the book of life. There’s hope in that. There’s assurance in that.

a. Eternal security isn’t simply a pie in the sky impractical idea – your position as a saved child of God is the source of your protection – the source of your hope and strength.

g. It’s hard to follow Jesus today. The pressure to compromise is all around us – and it only seems to be getting worse.

i. The pressure to have a divided loyalty and allegiance is all around us.

1. The government sometimes acts as God – and becomes more beastly when it does.

h. But even though its’ hard to follow Jesus – it is worth it. It’s worthy because our faith is tested, and when our faith is tested we grow.

i. And it’s worthy to follow Jesus, follow him through it all, because in our testing, God receives glory, and that is really our main reason for living.